BY DAN

Since the break down in the relationship between Josh Hodgson and Ricky Stuart (and also Hodgson and his knees) Canberra has been in search of a replacement hooker.

In a sense this is normal. Father time is undefeated. The only certainty in life is change, and [insert other motivation poster statement]. Time goes on. Players move on, positions must be filled. So in a sense teams are always looking for the next whatever.

But the role of the number 9 is particularly important in the modern game, providing a key link between the ‘earning’ and ‘burning’ phases of attack. Once upon a time this was heavily influenced by the halfback, but often now the hooker is the point guard of the attack, driving the team to where it needs to be, identifying weaknesses in the defence to exploit, and putting the side in the position for the fancy boys out the back to do their business. So you gotta get it right.

Canberra came into this season without clear answers. They evidently weren’t sold on any of their options, so they stockpiled options just in case. Shake the world up and see what falls out. Danny Levi started the season and then got injured. Zac Woolford went in the opposite trajectory. Tom Starling stayed perfectly still, which frustrated many. And now, as we noted recently, Adrian Trevilyan returned to the footy field.

None of these options is full proof. One has barely played football in the last 18 months. One was picked up in the off-season, trained the house down, became a coach-favourite before a broken jaw saw him fall down the depth chart. Another has been obviously integral in everything they’ve done, but was inexplicably (or rather, not explained) out of favour with the coaching staff to start the season, can be a free agent from 1 November, and just orchestrated one of the great try celebrations (Sign him). The last was the future, until the rules changed (again? back?) and he was suddenly forty per cent less effective.

There are decisions to make and it seems that what we’re seeing is that process play out in real time. Over the last month we’ve seen Trevilyan return to health, which has been followed by rumours of Danny Levi’s departure back to England, as preceded by a rumoured extension of Tom Starling’s time in Canberra. While this is all speculation and conjecture it seems we may be saying the crystallisation of the Milk’s hooking options for the future.

First of note is that if the rumours hold and Danny Levi goes home, then it was clear that our assessment from last off-season, that he was cover for Trevilyan, and a low-risk backup for Woolford and Starling has been proven correct (swish! Two points! Dan 2, reality 104), despite Sticky’s off-season proclamations. The return of Trevilyan, the form of Zac, and the ongoing presence of Tom makes him an extravagance in the top 30 that can no longer be carried, especially given the need to solve other issues on the roster for next season (like five-eighth, and right-edge backrower).

Tom Starling’s rumoured extension would make him the longest tenured rake on the roster, guaranteed to be with the club until the end of the 2025 season. Before the season Coach Stuart had made plenty of noise about expecting Starling to take a leap this year. This hasn’t occurred yet. Partly that’s because the rule changes over the last two years have mirrored a return to a juncture of normalcy, and a requirement for the number nine to offer crisp service and a bit of creativity around the ruck. These just aren’t Starling’s strengths. We thought they may come with time but as yet we remain waiting. They may still – there’s nothing like time and opportunity to grow – but we’ve now got plenty of tape suggesting that Starling may never become the next great hooker for a club that has had it’s share.

That doesn’t mean he’s a bad footy player. Starling offers an underrated skill: speed. With players like Xavier Savage watching on at the moment, it’s something that isn’t in plentiful supply for the Milk. When the Raiders do kick in the door and Tommy can run he looks dangerous. He’s provided critical flexibility for the roster and playing style, comfortable operating as a ball playing forward at various points this season. And pound-for-pound he’s an impressive defender. But it does mean that he doesn’t appear to Canberra’s tent-pole option going forward, rather a complementary part. At the right price there’s nothing wrong with locking in a complementary part like Starling, particularly when there’s still hope (admittedly fading) that there’s more than just wheels at his disposal.

That leaves Woolford and Trevilyan. Both are talented footballers who could make the position their own if given the opportunity. For Woolford that requires the belief of the coaching staff who before the season seemed reluctant to give him the reigns. As the season has wore on his role has returned to where it was last season, and arguably expanded (witness his first 80 minute effort last weekend). Trevilyan is all talent and no first-grade proof. His trust issue isn’t from the club, who have kept him around despite his injury history, but rather from a body that has yet to prove durable enough to handle the top line. Keeping both of them on the roster is smart business. Either will fit with Starling as a complementary piece going forward, and it would be prudent to keep both as backup depending on where first string heads (noting Woolford is unequivocally first choice in my view for the near term future).

Zac can sample the delicacies of free agency come 1 November, and as we’ve noted before the next thing we know about Trevilyan’s deal will be the first. The Raiders would be smart to keep both on the roster for the time being (even if at some point in the near future they may be faced with history repeating in the form of a ‘Woolford or…’ question). Other teams are always looking for hooking options, and both of these would look good in any team’s top 30.

It’s worth keeping an eye on this. So far we have little but vibes and rumours to go on. Given the amount of noise around player movement at the moment, and that clubs have until early August to finalise their rosters for the rest of the season, we expect that a lot of this will get resolved in the near future. It should be interesting to see if our reading is the same as the clubs.

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